I’m looking out the window and at the snow that’s falling down quietly. Here in Norway we’ve had a lot of snow since Christmas. It has been quite cold, but we’ve also had some sun and beautiful weather. Personally I like the snow. Having lived overseas for such a long time, in places that didn’t get any snow, I kind of missed it, and am glad that I get to experience it again. Although the temperatures are warming up in the days ahead, so I may not get to enjoy it for so much longer. I’ll have to appreciate it while it’s still here and see if I can get some skiing in… 🙂
But over to today’s topic… pain. As. As a healer and empath, pain is something that I encounter quite a lot. I tend to tune into people’s pain, and can tell when people are burdened with something. I have also experienced a fair bit of pain in my life, which I think has given me the ability to empathize with other people’s pain and suffering. It is probably also why I immediately notice it in other people. Pain is not something that we usually seek out, but try to avoid as best we can. Nevertheless, pain will usually find us all at some point in our life, and although it can be debilitating, it can also be a great teacher, if we let it.
When we’re in the midst of pain, it’s natural to feel a sense of hopelessness, and question why we have to go through it. A while back I listened to a channeled message (I believe it was from Kryon), that said there was no purpose to experiencing pain other than to teach us how not to feel it (or something to that effect, I don’t remember the exact wording). I believe there is some truth to it. I believe part of the point of the channeled message was that pain is not a punishment for things we may have done in the past. Some religions may hint at the fact that when we experience pain and misfortune it is a punishment from God, because of some misdeed on our part. I don’t believe in a vengeful God, to me God is love, and someone who loves his children would never punish them in a cruel and hurtful fashion. I do believe though, that we sometimes choose to experience certain pains before we incarnate into life, because there is something that we want to learn from it. Pain can also be a consequence of things we have done either in this life or a past life, but that is not the same as punishment. Again, there is something for us to learn from those situations.
Pain can be both physical or mental/emotional. Although physical and emotional pain are two separate things, there are actually quite a few parallels. Back when I was doing my psychology degree, I actually wrote a paper on pain, and what I found in my research is that the pain centers in the brain are the same for physical and emotional pain. So whether we feel physical or emotional pain, we experience it in much the same way. And some tools that help to alleviate pain, works equally well for physical as well as emotional pain. Music and sound for instance, is a great example of that. Studies have shown that music and sound can help lessen the sensation of pain, and help us endure it better, and that is true not only for emotional pain, but also for physical pain. I know for myself, I have certainly found much comfort in music over the years, something I wrote about in a previous post as well.
I was working at a job a little while back that I didn’t enjoy too much, but thankfully we were able to listen to music. So I used to play uplifting mantras all day long just to get me through the day. And it definitely helped. I also find music is great to help get you through mundane tasks, such as cleaning, doing the dishes or any other such menial job. Listening to music when working out and doing yoga also helps you to perform better, and I have had many experiences in meditation where music has helped me reach higher states of consciousness. So it’s definitely clear that music and sound has power beyond just being nice to listen to. I think I must have always intuitively known this, and is probably why I have been so drawn to both music creation and sound healing. That, and my desire to contribute something to the world and help people. And of course, I love music and sound, and everything that goes with it, and that is why it’s a natural fit!
In one week from today, I’ll be sharing my latest endeavor with you, when I finally release my new single. Can’t wait! In the meantime, though, if you want to relieve some pain and be uplifted, feel free to check out my guided sound meditations (some of them are even free!).
Sending you love & light for a pain free day,
Sweet Annie Sounds 